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Sony DSC-P1

Sony packs a 3 megapixel CCD and a full 3x optical zoom lens into an exceptionally compact digicam!

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Page 7:Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests
Review First Posted: 9/12/2000

Shutter Lag/Cycle Times
When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time before the shutter actually fires. This time allows the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is almost never reported on, and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, we now routinely measure it using a special electronic test setup.

DSC-P1 Timings

Operation Time (secs) Notes

Power On -> First shot 4.0
Time from power on to first image captured.

Shutdown 2.41
Time until lens retracted (no pending image processing).

Play to Record, first shot 3.35
Time until first image captured.

Record to play (max/min res) 4.4/1.3
Time for full-resolution display, at maximum/minimum resolution

Shutter lag, full autofocus 1.49 Delay between shutter press and image capture. (Somewhat slower than average.)

Shutter lag, prefocus 0.36 Same as above, but with shutter half-pressed prior to exposure.

Cycle time, full resolution 4.0 Minimum time from shot to shot, high resolution JPEG.

Cycle time, minimum resolution 3.1
Same as above, but time for minimum resolution JPEG.

In our tests, the DSC-P1 was fairly fast from startup to first picture, particularly for a camera with a telescoping lens. Likewise, it was quite fast to shut down and be ready to be stowed. Shot to shot cycle times are about average for a 3 megapixel digicam, noticeably slower than the fastest cameras in the category, but likewise not the slowest. The biggest speed limitation we found was the 1.49 second shutter lag in full autofocus mode, which is rather slow by current standards. Thus, we wouldn't recommend the DSC-P1 for people interested in a camera for sports photography or other fast-paced action.

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DSC-P1 Timings
Operation	Time (secs)	Notes
Power On -> First shot	4.0	Time from power on to first image captured.
Shutdown	2.41	Time until lens retracted (no pending image processing).
Play to Record, first shot	3.35	Time until first image captured.
Record to play (max/min res)	4.4/1.3	Time for full-resolution display, at maximum/minimum resolution
Shutter lag, full autofocus	1.49	Delay between shutter press and image capture. (Somewhat slower than average.)
Shutter lag, prefocus	0.36	Same as above, but with shutter half-pressed prior to exposure.
Cycle time, full resolution	4.0	Minimum time from shot to shot, high resolution JPEG.
Cycle time, minimum resolution	3.1	Same as above, but time for minimum resolution JPEG.